Isn't the problem a false sense of entitlement stemming from an ideology? I notice the Amish around here have no problem using the roads, yet do not want to contribute at all to paying for them. And no one thinks they should...why? Because they believe something that they can not support or demonstrate to us. I respect their right to believe what they want, but why should it mean so much to a society as to donate resources? How does believing in something which requires faith entitle anyone to anything but that faith?
My mother is a Christian and, like most, she would never consider cheating the tax code and stacking the deck. Yet, she has no problem with the difference between her tax burden and the churches. While it may be true that most Christians would not lie or cheat, it's also true that most of American society, Christian or not, is fine with the tax break. Strangely they are also fine with the church having political influence, which suggests they are not concerned with separation of church and state. So, the illusion of entitlement isnt restricted to only those who follow the ideology. The church has managed to take the political notion of separation and turn it into a religious privilege. They have put themselves into a position where it is not only OK to make laws which effectively force ideological principals onto others, but also OK to avoid laws which apply to others. Religion was intended to have no political position, and managed to gain the ultimate political position. Play without pay.
The problem with militant atheists is fascism which arises outside of the ideology. There is nothing about being unconvinced of God which requires evangelism. There are no atheistic principals to force onto others, no atheist laws that exist beyond the need to keep religion in check. Atheism is without content.
